First national bat assessment finds 7 of India's 135 species threatened, 35 data-deficient

What happened: The first comprehensive State of India's Bats assessment, prepared by the Nature Conservation Foundation along with global partners, was released in mid-April 2026. It is India's first national-level review of bat species, distribution, threats and research gaps.

Numbers that matter: India is home to 135 known bat species. Of these, 7 are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List, 16 are endemic to India, and a striking 35 species are listed as Data Deficient — meaning there isn't even enough information to judge whether they are in decline. The Khasian Leaf-nosed bat, for example, faces clear pressure but has yet to be formally assessed by IUCN.

Where bats live: West Bengal tops state-level diversity with 68 species, followed by Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Karnataka and Sikkim. The pattern broadly tracks India's two big biodiversity hotspots — the Western Ghats and the Indo-Burma region.

Why bats are under pressure: The report flags three drivers. First, urbanisation has cleared roosting trees, caves and old buildings that bats use. Second, the rapid build-out of wind-farm and solar-farm infrastructure causes direct mortality and habitat fragmentation. Third, post-pandemic stigma — the false idea that all bats are dangerous disease reservoirs — has hurt their image just as policy attention to other megafauna has risen.

India angle: Bats provide measurable ecosystem services. Frugivorous species pollinate mahua, banana and many forest trees and disperse seeds. Insectivorous species control crop pests like rice planthoppers and cotton bollworms, reducing pesticide need. Bat guano enriches forest soils. The report calls for a citizen-science network, a national roost inventory, and inclusion of bats in environmental impact assessments for renewable projects — a direct policy ask of MoEFCC and the Wildlife Institute of India.

Exam angle: Remember the headline numbers — 135 species, 7 threatened, 35 data-deficient, 16 endemic — the top-diversity state (West Bengal, 68 species), and the three main threats. Static linkage: Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 schedules, and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.